Manufacture of cigarettes

ABSTRACT

The cut-off of a continuous rod cigarette-making machine makes poorer ends at very high speeds. Therefore, double-length rods are cut off, are subdivided by a rotary knife while in a fluted drum, so producing excellent ends, are transposed so that the good ends are outermost, and are then made into mouthpiece cigarettes by inserting a double-length mouthpiece portion between them, uniting the assemblage with an encircling band and subdividing it to produce two mouthpiece cigarettes in which the poorer quality ends are concealed. Triple length rods may be subdivided by two rotary knives, the centre cigarettes have two excellent ends and may be used as plain cigarettes.

United States Patent 1191 Molins 1 June 11, 1974 [54] MANUFACTURE OF CIGARETTES R26,900 5/1970 Bohn et al. 131/94 [75] Inventor: ggsglllgrllld Walter Molins, London, Primay Examiner Robert W. Michell Assistant Examiner-John F. Pitrelli [73] Assignee: Molins Limited, London, England Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Craig & Antonelli 22 Fil d: Dec. 14, 1971 1 e I 57 ABSTRACT [211 App! 207827 The cut-off of a continuous rod cigarette-making machine makes poorer ends at very high speeds. There- [30] Foreign Application Priority Data fore, double-length rods are cut off, are subdivided by Dec. 15, 1970 Great Britain 59490/70 a rotary knife while in a fluted drum, PPOdUCiHB cellent ends, are transposed so that the good ends are [52 us. Cl. 131/94, 198/25 outermost, and are then made into mouthpiece ciga- 51 Int. Cl A24c 05/52, A24c 05/58 by inserting a double-length mouthpiece portion [58 1 Field of Search 131/94, 72; 198/25, 20 0 between them, uniting the assemblage with an encircling band and subdividing it to produce two mouth- 5 References Cited piece cigarettes in which the poorer quality ends are UNITED STATES PATENTS concealed. Triple length rods may be subdivided by two rotary knives, the centre cigarettes have two exlflggz i fi z z Q cellent ends and may be used as plain cigarettes. 3:363:632 1/1968 GambBl'lni 131/94 12 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 1 MANUFACTURE OF CIGARETTES speeds. In addition, at very high operating speeds, the

high speed of the cut-off mechanism necessary for making, say, 4,0005,000 cuts a minute, gives a number of disadvantages. It is possible to decrease the speed of the cut-off by half so as to cut double instead of single cigarette lengths, and to subdivide these double lengths at a later stage. However, at very high rod speeds difficulties arise in producing double lengths with good, square-cut ends. Such double-lengths can, however, easily be subdivided, for example by a rotating-disc knife past which they move laterally, in such a way as to produce excellent ends at the point of subdivision.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing cigarettes which comprises cutting an axially-moving continuous cigarette rod into multiple cigarette length rods, cutting such multiple length rods while they are moving laterally to produce individual cigarette lengths, arranging cigarette lengths so produced into axially aligned pairs in which the outermost ends are ends resulting from cutting the multiple cigarette length rods, inserting a mouthpiece portion between the cigarette lengths of each pair, joining the cigarette lengths and mouthpiece portions by encircling bands, and cutting through the mouthpiece portions to produce individual mouthpiece cigarettes.

By this method the ends produced by cutting the axially moving continuous rod are wholly concealed by the encircling bands which join cigarettes and mouthpieces, and therefore the need for perfection of cut at those ends is reduced.

The multiple length rods can be produced by using a single cut-off knife, thus, in the case of double length rods, reducing the knife speed to onehalf that required for cutting single cigarette lengths. They can, however, if desired be produced by using two knives instead of one, and in that case the knife speed for producing double length rods can be reduced to one quarter that required for cuttingsingle lengths.

Quadruple length rods are subdivided into single lengths in one or more operations. For example a quadruple length can be subdivided into'four, while moving laterally, by three disc knives. lf triple length rods are produced these may be cut into three, while moving laterally, by two disc knives. The centre cigarette of each three may then be removed. The remaining two cigarettes are then treated as if double length rods had been used.

If the speed of the knife moving through the continuous rod is reduced as proposed above, so as to cut multiples of a single cigarette length, it is advantageous to use a fixed ledger instead of the usual movingledger, since it will be appreciated that with a high rod speed and a relatively low knife speed through the rod, an excessively large ledger stroke would be required. With a fixed ledger, it is merely necessary to provide a suitable angle on the face of the ledger against which the knife passes. Any resulting deterioration in the quality of the cut can, for the reasons given above, be accepted.

The multiple lengths can be deflected sideways from the rod line by a rotating fluted drum on which they travel one behind the other and are subdivided by a rotary disc knife. Assuming that the multiple lengths are double lengths, their subdivision produces two rows of single length cigarettes. These can be considered as arranged in pairs of aligned cigarettes, but the good ends of each pair (i.e., the ends produced by the disc,

knife) are the inner, opposed ends. To arrange the cigarettes as required, each cigarette in one row is picked off the drum, displaced lengthwise across and past the other row, and replaced on the drum. When the cigarettes are thus rearranged, the good ends of each pair are the outermost, outward-facing ends.

Conveniently this rearrangement can be achieved by providing a suction transfer roller adjacent the fluted drum arranged to pick up each successive cigarette in one row; these are in succession moved lengthwise (e.g., by blowing) along the transfer roller and finally replaced on the fluted drum. in such an arrangement, both the fluted drum and the transfer roller must of course be long enough for the purpose.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 illustrates schematically an example of a method according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of apparatus according to the invention, and

FIG. 3 is a view on the line llI-lIl of FIG. 2.

In FIG. 1, at stage i is shown a double-length cigarette rod D; stage II shows the latter after subdivision into two single cigarette lengths A, B;stage III shows these two lengths rearranged; stage IV shows a double length mouthpiece portion S inserted between the cigarette lengths; stage V shows the two cigarette lengths united with the double length mouthpiece portion; and stage Vl shows the assemblage of stage V severed at Z to produce two mouthpiece cigarettes Cl and C2. The ends of the double-length rod D are marked X. The ends of the cigarettes produced by subdivision of the rod are marked Y. In the final cigarettes Cl and C2 the exposed ends are the ends Y.

in FIGS. 2 and 3 there is shown a first drum 1, a rotary disc knife 2 and a second drum 3. The drum 1 is the catcher drum of a continuous rod cigarette making machine and has a plurality of flutes 4. It is rotated at such. a speed as to receive in each momentarily uppermost flute a double length cigarette rod D, the rods D being produced in succession by the cut-off mechanism C0 of the cigarette making machine. The drum 1 has a stop 7 in each flute 4 which arrests the axial motion of the rods D so that a laterally moving row of rods D is formed on the drum 1. The disc knife 2 extends into a circumferential slot 6. A braking roller is shown at 5. This has the shape of a solid of revolution of the curvature of the drum 1. The surface of the roller 5 bears lightly against the double-length rods D to slow them down as they enter the flutes 4. The drum 1 rotates in the direction shown by the arrow to carry each rod D in succession past the rotary disc knife 2 which subdivides them into single cigarette lengths A and B to form two rows of cigarettes. These events correspond to stages I and II of FIG. 1.

In FIGS. 2 and 3 the multiple length rods and cigarette lengths shown have the nomenclature corresponding to that of FIG. 1, of D for double length rods and A and B for individual cigarette lengths. It will be appreciated that in FIG. 2 some flutes will contain both a cigarette A and a cigarette B, and to indicate this, and also to indicate which cigarette is in front and can therefore be seen, and which cigarette is behind and is concealed, the cigarettes are indicated by the reference letters A, B in that order where a cigarette B is concealed by a cigarette A, and by the reference letters B, A'in that order where a cigarette A is concealed by a cigarette B. Also, to make clear the paths taken by the cigarettes the cigarettes A are referenced A1, A2, A3 etc., and the cigarettes B are referenced B1, B2, B3 etc., starting from the point of subdivision of the rods D by the knife 2. The cigarettes shown at corresponding positions in FIG. 3 bear the same references.

The second drum 3 is of substantially the same length as the drum 1 and has longitudinal flutes 8 at the same pitch as the flutes 4 of drum 1. The drum 3 is a transfer drum and is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow so that each successive flute 4 registers with a flute 8 so that cigarettes can be transferred from one drum to the other.

The two rows ofcigarettes A and B are carried by the flutes 4 of the drum 1 until each flute 4 registers in turn with a flute 8. At that point the cigarettes B are trans ferred into the flutes 8 while the cigarettes A are retained in the flutes 4. In FIG. 2, cigarette B4 has just been transferred into the drum 3, cigarette A4 is retained in the flute 4,'and behind it is cigarette B17 which has just been transferred from the other end of flute 8. The cigarettes B in the flutes 8 are displaced along the flutes, from front to back as viewed in FIG. 2 and from right to left as viewed in FIG. 3, as the drum 3 rotates. Thecigarettes B are blown along the flutes 8 by air jets 9 supplied from a manifold 10. A shroud ll surrounds the drum 3 to prevent the cigarettes from falling out-and in place of being blown along the flutes the cigarettes could be sucked along them. A stop 12 is provided in each of the-flutes 8 to align the cigarettes B. The cigarettes B could be moved along the flutes by means of a helical guide. In this case the cigarettes would have to stand' proud of the drum 3. The helical guide could be an internal rib on the shroud 11.

When the drum 3 has made one revolution the cigarette in the position of cigarette B4 will have been displaced to occupy the position of cigarette B17 and will then be transferred into the flute 4 of the drum 1. FIG. 3 shows the progressive displacement of the cigarettes B to B17 along the length of the drum 3. As mentioned above, cigarette A4 is retained in flute 4 whilst from in front of it, as viewed in FIG. 2, cigarette B4 is transferred into the flute 8, and behind it cigarette B17 is transferedinto the same flute 4. Thus, two rows of cigarettes'A and B are carried in the flutes 4 away from the drum 3, but the row of cigarettes B has been trans- I ferred from one side of the row of cigarettes A to the other side of the row, so that, in efiect, the rows have been transposed. This corresponds to stage III of FIG. 1

14 of a further drum 13. A still further fluted drum 15 carries double length mouthpiece portions S in its flutes l6, and each portion S is placed between a pair of cigarettes A and B in a flute 14. This is stage IV of FIG. 1.

The two cigarettes and the mouthpiece portion are then closed up together, are united by an encircling band (stage V) and are then severed to form two mouthpiece cigarettes (stage VI). These operations could be carried out as shown in British patent No. 941,832.

The drums I, 3, 13 and 15 have suction applied to their flutes in the following manner. The flutes 4 are connected to the centre of the drum 1 by radial drillings 17. A stationary valve 18 applies suction to the part of the flutes occupied by the rods D and the cigarettes A and B between the points 19 and 20. Between the points 20 and 21 suction is cut off from the right hand row of cigarettes B, as viewed in FIG. 3, so that these cigarettes may be transferred into the drum 3. At

the same time, suction is applied to the part of the flutes 4 occupied by the left hand row of cigarettes B, as viewed in FIG. 3. All suction is cut off from the flutes 4 between the points 21 and 19.

The drum 3 similarly has radial drillings 22 connecting the flutes 8 with a stationary valve 23. This valve applies suction only between the points 24 and 25 to the part of the flute 8 occupied by the cigarettes as the are transferred from the drum 1.

' The drum l3 similarly has radial drillings 26, and suction is applied to them at the point 27. The drum 15 has radial drillings 28 and suction is applied to them at point 29.

The cut off mechanism C0 may have a helical knife, for example, the mechanism may be like that shown in British Patent No. 1,238,458. A reciprocating ledger could be employed in place of the ledger shown. Alternatively, a fixed ledger could be employed, for example, as shown in British patent No. 294,905. Also, two cut-off knives in place of the single knife could be used.

The drum 4 need not be the catcher drum of a cigarette making machine, instead it could be separate from the cigarette making machine, the rods D after being cut off from the continuous cigarette rod being collected and taken to the drum 1 and fed laterally into the flutes 4.

Multiple length cigarette rods longer than double length rods could be used. For example, quadruple length rods could be severed into single cigarette lengths in one or more stages by knives such as the knife 2. For example, the apparatus employed could be as shown except that three knives 2 spaced apart by a cigarette length are employed. One outermost row of cigarettes would be transferred to the other side of the otheroutermost row. Thus, instead of just rows of cigarettes A and B there would be rows of cigarettes A, B, C and D, and row D would be transferred into a transfer drum like the drum 3 and displaced along its flutes and then transferred back to the first drum so that the rows are now in the order D, A, B, C. The operations of making mouthpiece cigarettes as shown in stages IV,

V and VI would then be carried on in parallel for rows D and A and for rows 8 and C respectively.

If triple length rods were to be used two knives such as the knife ,2 spaced apart a cigarette length would be used. When the triple length rod has been severed into three cigarette lengths the centre row of cigarettes could be removed, for example, on another fluted drum, to provide a supply of plain cigarettes, and the remaining two rows of cigarettes would be treated as in FIGS. 2 and 3. The only other difference in the apparatus would be that the drums would have to be longer by the amount of the extra cigarette length. The removed cigarettes would have both ends produced by the disc knives.

I claim:

1. A method of manufacturing cigarettes which comprises cutting an axially-moving continuous cigarette rod into multiple cigarette length rods which may have cut ends that are not precise, cutting such multiple length rods while they are moving laterally toward a cutting means to produce individual cigarette lengths, arranging cigarette lengths so produced into axially aligned pairs in which the outermost ends are ends resulting from cutting the multiple cigarette length rods, inserting a mouthpiece portion between the cigarette lengths of each pair, joining the cigarette lengths and mouthpiece portions by encircling bands which enclose said cut ends, and cutting through the mouthpiece portions to produce individual mouthpiece cigarettes.

2. A method of manufacturing cigarettes as claimed in claim 1 wherein the continuous cigarette rod is cut into double length rods, the double length rods are moved laterally as a row and whilst so moving are cut to produce two rows of axially aligned cigarette lengths, onerow being transferred to the other side of the other row to produce the axially aligned pairs of cigarettes in which the outermost ends are ends resulting from cutting the double length rods into cigarette lengths.

3. Apparatus for manufacturing cigarettes comprising a cut-off mechanism for severing a continuous cigarette rod moving in the axial direction of the rod into multiple cigarette length rods which may have cut ends that are not precise, means for receiving each successive multiple length rod and for bringing it to rest axially and for conveying it laterally, cutting means for cutting each multiple length rod into cigarette lengths as it is moving laterally toward the cutting means to produce a plurality of rows of single cigarettes in the form of a laterally-moving succession of pairs of cigarettes, transfer means for transferring a first and outermost row of the cigarette lengths from one side of the other outermost row to the other side thereof to pro-' duce a laterally moving succession of pairs of cigarette lengths, the outermost ends of which are ends resulting from cutting the multiple length rods, means for inserting a double length mouthpiece portion between each pair of cigarette lengths to form an assemblage, means for uniting each assemblage with the cut ends that may not be precise joined to said mouthpiece portion, and means for cutting each assemblage into two mouthpiece cigarettes.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the cutoff mechanism severs from the continuous cigarette rod double cigarette length rods, the means for receiving each successive foremost rod and for bringing it to rest axially is a first rotatable fluted drum to receive a double length rod in each of its flutes, and having a stop in each flute to arrest the axial movement of the rod, the cutting means is a disc knife adjacent the first fluted drum to cut each double length rod into two cigarette lengths to form two rows of cigarette lengths, the transfer means transferring one row to the other side of the other row is a second fluted drum, parallel with the first drum, and of substantially the same length, to receive one of the rows of cigarette lengths in its flutes, the second drum also having a stop in each flute, displacing means to displace the cigarettes along the flutes until they meet the stops, and means to transfer the displaced cigarettes back into the flutes of the first drum on the other side of the stops in the first drum.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 further including means for applying suction to the flutes of said first drum to retain said other row of cigarettes therein, means for cutting off suction from the flutes along a portion of the drum to transfer said one row of cigarettes into the second drum, and means for applying suction to the flutes of the first drum to transfer the cigarettes of the transferred row back into the flutes of the first drum.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 further including means for applying suction to the flutes of the second drum adjacent the first drum to transfer the cigarettes of the said one row into the second drum.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the displacing means are air jets.

8. An apparatus for manufacturing filter cigarettes comprising a cut-off mechanism for severing a continuous cigarette rod moving in the axial direction of the rod into multiple length cigarette rods which may have cut ends that are not precise, conveying means for conveying the multiple length rods laterally of their axes, cutting means for cutting at least one single length cigarette from one side of each multiple length rod as it is moving laterally toward said cutting means, transfer means for transferring each single length cigarette from said one side of the remainder of the multiple length rod to a position at the other side thereof spaced apart by a gap for a double length filter to be inserted therebetween, means for inserting a double length filter between the single length cigarette and the remainder of the multiple length rod, means for uniting the double length filter to the adjoining cigarette portions whereby the double length filter will be united to the two ends of the multiple length rod which may not be precise as a result of being severed by the cut-off mechanism.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said conveying means comprises a rotatable fluted carrier drum having a length to accommodate said multiple length cigarette rods in each of its flutes and having a stop in each flute to arrest the axial movement of each rod.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said transfer means comprises a rotatable fluted transfer drum having a length at least equal to said multiple length cigarette rods and being positioned adjacent said conveying means to receive said single length cigarettes in its flutes, said transfer drum having a stop in each of its flutes to arrest the axial movement of each cigarette at a prescribed transfer. position, displacing means to displace the cigarette along the flutes until they meet the stops at said transfer position, and means to transfer the displaced cigarettes back to said conveying means,

rod.

* I l l l 

1. A method of manufacturing cigarettes which comprises cutting an axially-moving continuous cigarette rod into multiple cigarette length rods which may have cut ends that are not precise, cutting such multiple length rods while they are moving laterally toward a cutting means to produce individual cigarette lengths, arranging cigarette lengths so produced into axially aligned pairs in which the outermost enDs are ends resulting from cutting the multiple cigarette length rods, inserting a mouthpiece portion between the cigarette lengths of each pair, joining the cigarette lengths and mouthpiece portions by encircling bands which enclose said cut ends, and cutting through the mouthpiece portions to produce individual mouthpiece cigarettes.
 2. A method of manufacturing cigarettes as claimed in claim 1 wherein the continuous cigarette rod is cut into double length rods, the double length rods are moved laterally as a row and whilst so moving are cut to produce two rows of axially aligned cigarette lengths, one row being transferred to the other side of the other row to produce the axially aligned pairs of cigarettes in which the outermost ends are ends resulting from cutting the double length rods into cigarette lengths.
 3. Apparatus for manufacturing cigarettes comprising a cut-off mechanism for severing a continuous cigarette rod moving in the axial direction of the rod into multiple cigarette length rods which may have cut ends that are not precise, means for receiving each successive multiple length rod and for bringing it to rest axially and for conveying it laterally, cutting means for cutting each multiple length rod into cigarette lengths as it is moving laterally toward the cutting means to produce a plurality of rows of single cigarettes in the form of a laterally-moving succession of pairs of cigarettes, transfer means for transferring a first and outermost row of the cigarette lengths from one side of the other outermost row to the other side thereof to produce a laterally moving succession of pairs of cigarette lengths, the outermost ends of which are ends resulting from cutting the multiple length rods, means for inserting a double length mouthpiece portion between each pair of cigarette lengths to form an assemblage, means for uniting each assemblage with the cut ends that may not be precise joined to said mouthpiece portion, and means for cutting each assemblage into two mouthpiece cigarettes.
 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the cut-off mechanism severs from the continuous cigarette rod double cigarette length rods, the means for receiving each successive foremost rod and for bringing it to rest axially is a first rotatable fluted drum to receive a double length rod in each of its flutes, and having a stop in each flute to arrest the axial movement of the rod, the cutting means is a disc knife adjacent the first fluted drum to cut each double length rod into two cigarette lengths to form two rows of cigarette lengths, the transfer means transferring one row to the other side of the other row is a second fluted drum, parallel with the first drum, and of substantially the same length, to receive one of the rows of cigarette lengths in its flutes, the second drum also having a stop in each flute, displacing means to displace the cigarettes along the flutes until they meet the stops, and means to transfer the displaced cigarettes back into the flutes of the first drum on the other side of the stops in the first drum.
 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 further including means for applying suction to the flutes of said first drum to retain said other row of cigarettes therein, means for cutting off suction from the flutes along a portion of the drum to transfer said one row of cigarettes into the second drum, and means for applying suction to the flutes of the first drum to transfer the cigarettes of the transferred row back into the flutes of the first drum.
 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 further including means for applying suction to the flutes of the second drum adjacent the first drum to transfer the cigarettes of the said one row into the second drum.
 7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the displacing means are air jets.
 8. An apparatus for manufacturing filter cigarettes comprising a cut-off mechanism for severing a continuous cigarette rod moving in the axial direction of the rod into multiple length cigarette rodS which may have cut ends that are not precise, conveying means for conveying the multiple length rods laterally of their axes, cutting means for cutting at least one single length cigarette from one side of each multiple length rod as it is moving laterally toward said cutting means, transfer means for transferring each single length cigarette from said one side of the remainder of the multiple length rod to a position at the other side thereof spaced apart by a gap for a double length filter to be inserted therebetween, means for inserting a double length filter between the single length cigarette and the remainder of the multiple length rod, means for uniting the double length filter to the adjoining cigarette portions whereby the double length filter will be united to the two ends of the multiple length rod which may not be precise as a result of being severed by the cut-off mechanism.
 9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said conveying means comprises a rotatable fluted carrier drum having a length to accommodate said multiple length cigarette rods in each of its flutes and having a stop in each flute to arrest the axial movement of each rod.
 10. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said transfer means comprises a rotatable fluted transfer drum having a length at least equal to said multiple length cigarette rods and being positioned adjacent said conveying means to receive said single length cigarettes in its flutes, said transfer drum having a stop in each of its flutes to arrest the axial movement of each cigarette at a prescribed transfer position, displacing means to displace the cigarette along the flutes until they meet the stops at said transfer position, and means to transfer the displaced cigarettes back to said conveying means.
 11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein said displacing means is provided in the form of at least one air jet directed axially along the flutes of said transfer drum.
 12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein said conveying means comprises a rotatable fluted carrier drum having a length to accommodate said multiple length cigarette rods in each of its flutes and having a stop in each flute to arrest the axial movement of each rod. 